West Seneca Man Reflects on Death of Jovan Belcher

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(BUFFALO) "It hit me like a ton of bricks...it really did." The realization for Jeremy Kelley when he learned that his friend and former teammate Jovan Belcher was involved in the early morning murder - suicide in Kansas City. Kelley spoke with Channel 2's Stu Boyar Saturday night at the Channel 2 studios.

Kelley, who is from West Seneca, is now a wide receiver with the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League. He played football with Belcher at the University of Maine and they had stayed in touch through the years. Belcher was said to be an intense all - out player according to Kelley.

He was thrilled to hear of his friend's good news earlier this year as a new father and starting linebacker for the Kansas City Chief's defense...but now it's just disbelief. Kelley says: "From the outside you always think it looks good. You know he just had a baby girl and he's a starting linebacker in the NFL. You think things are good but you never really. You never know what's going on behind the scenes. So it just catches you off guard. Whatever was weighing on his mind it must have been heavy. Because he was a tough dude. You know a lot of people say, you made it through the Maine football program and there's really not much in life that you can't deal with. But whatever it was., man it just pushed him too far."

Kelley also recalls his last visit to Kansas City with Belcher and Belcher's girlfriend who police say Belcher killed before taking his life. "I was just with him this summer and you know seeing him rub his girlfriend's belly and just...man I'm about to be a father. You know just talking about. Just like two guys would be talking for anybody expecting a baby. But obviously I don't know what went on behind closed doors. You know something must have been wrong but it's tough. You've got somebody that can conceal something behind a smile. It's good in the fact that they're optimistic. But it's a tragedy in the fact that you never really know what's going on...what could happen."